For Want of a Jinchuuriki
by ShaperV
Summary: With Sarutobi dead, certain parties thought getting rid of Konoha's most annoying genin would be easy. But is that really such a great idea? Naruto/Multi
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Author's Note:** Partly inspired by Perfect Lionheart's missing hokage challenge, with some odd bits of fandom cliche thrown in for good measure. Continuity sticklers will probably notice that I've fudged a few details surrounding Tsunade's return to the village and her knowledge of previous events in the interests of a better story, so just consider this ever-so-slightly AU.

Edited 07-18-09: Just fixed a few typos and spelling errors. No changes to the actual story.

* * *

Danzo seldom showed emotion, but even the most seasoned ninja have their limits. This midnight journey through the most secure wing of the ANBU detention center should never have been necessary. To the elite ninja who guarded the facility his narrowed eyes and clenched jaw were as good as a shouted tirade, and even the irrepressible Anko held her silence as she unlocked the inner gate and passed him through.

_Damn that idiot boy!_ He fumed. _And damn Kakashi for letting it come to this! What kind of jounin can't foresee his own student betraying the village in such a crude manner? What was Sarutobi thinking, putting that incompetent in charge of such a critical team?_

But the former Hokage was three weeks dead, and he'd had no chance to confide in his successor. No one would ever know.

Sasuke was chained to the wall of his cell with massive bands of steel, surrounded by chakra suppression seals to prevent the use of techniques. The seals glowed with a soft blue light, a testament to the amount of power they were suppressing. The genin's eyes followed the old man coldly as he closed the door, and moved to take the seat in the center of the room. Danzo regarded him in silence for a long moment.

"Well, boy, you've truly made a mess of things now." He finally growled. "What were you thinking, going over to that madman Orochimaru?"

"I'll never become strong enough to kill my brother with Kakashi holding me back." Sasuke replied coldly.

"So instead you ally with a man who intends to possess you at the first opportunity? Idiot boy, if you wanted harsher training you could have asked for it. Do you think you're the only one who wants to see Itachi dealt with?"

"I did." Sasuke muttered.

Danzo paused, and his jaw clenched again. "I see. Well, with the old fool gone those of us who understand what it means to be a ninja village are finally in charge. I've spoken with the clan elders who matter, and we've determined that the Sharingan is sufficiently important to the future of this village to warrant giving you another chance. But your days of being a loose cannon are over."

"In the morning Hiashi is going to place the Caged Bird seal on you. The Hokage will conceal it with her illusion seal, and you will speak of it to no one. You will then resume active duty. We will manufacture a cover story to explain away your involvement with those Sound ninja, and you will never speak of the matter again. If the Hokage or council ever receive a report on you that even hints at disloyalty we will use the seal to execute you immediately."

"After being sealed you will report to the Uchiha clan compound for special training. Kakashi will be assigned full-time duty as your personal tutor, with orders to teach you everything he knows within the next six months. If your performance is satisfactory at that time you will be given a new team and placed in ANBU's reactivated jutsu theft section, where you will spent your time copying the techniques of the most powerful foreign ninja you can locate. The council will consider the possibility of an assassination mission against Itachi at such time as you demonstrate that it is likely to succeed."

"However, immediate steps must be taken to guard against the risk of the Sharingan being permanently lost to Konoha. The council has therefore passed a special resolution for the preservation of endangered bloodlines, which suspends all customary limitations on the selection of spouses and requires the Hokage to assign kunoichi to this duty. You will select at least three females of childbearing age to assist you in reviving your clan, and arrangements will be made immediately. If there is an excessive delay before they begin providing heirs, be aware that the council will take whatever steps may be required to expedite the process."

"Now, have I made myself clear?"

The prospect of being a virtual slave infuriated Sasuke, but the carrot the council offered was a big one. And since the alternative was probably a few months as an unwilling sperm donor followed by an execution…

"Yes, sir."

--oOoOo--

Tsunade turned away from her darkened window and knocked back another swig of sake with the ease of long practice. Six hours in surgery, trying to save a young boy who should have been dead already. Who would have been dead, if not for the most amazing case of regeneration she'd ever seen. There'd been so much blood. She shuddered. She'd only been back for a week, and already she'd nearly buried the boy who'd convinced her to return.

Only the quiet shuffle of paper betrayed Shizune's presence in the office. Once her assistant's habits had irritated Tsunade to no end, but she'd long since come to understand. Where Tsunade drank to forget, Shizune buried herself in responsibility.

Suddenly the shuffling stopped. "Um, Tsunade? You didn't read this law before you signed it, did you?"

"So what?" The slug Sannin grumbled. "Not like I know what's going on in this town. Can't the council handle running the place long enough for me to figure out what all our ninja are doing?" Then she noticed Shizune's expression.

"What?"

Wordlessly, her assistant placed the document on the desk in front of her.

"Ok, yeah, the clan restoration thing. So? Personally I'd lock the little bastard up and go with artificial insemination, but what the hell. Half the kunoichi in the village are obsessed with him, what do I care if they get their wish?"

"Keep reading."

"Well, ok. Wives, mistresses, yeah whatever. Hokage can designate more clans, requirements to qualify, provisions to revoke, blah blah blah. Still not seeing the….WHAT?!?" Tsunade nearly dropped her sake bottle in shock. Then she stopped to take another swig before reading on.

"An endangered bloodline male can claim up to a dozen unmarried females between the age of 12 and 40 as a wives or mistresses? Overrides all other legal restrictions and commitments? Kunoichi considered on a permanent B-rank mission assignment, with the bloodline carrier as their mission commander? Wait, the girl's clan head can object but she can't? Shizune, this is…is…"

"A license to create a harem of virtual slaves, with a few loopholes to let the more powerful clan heads protect their own daughters if they care to. I wish we'd known about this in time to stop it."

"Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have come back here! I suck at this political bullshit. I…damn it, I've screwed things up again. What am I going to do, Shizune?"

"It's not the end of the world, Tsunade. From what I hear Sasuke is pretty popular, so I doubt he'll have any trouble finding enough volunteers. Just don't declare any other clans endangered, and we'll find an excuse to repeal it in a year or two when the clan elders have gotten what they wanted."

--oOoOo—

"You wanted to see me, father?"

Hiashi Hyuuga was taking a late breakfast after sealing the Uchiha boy, but the interruption was expected. He looked up to regard his oldest daughter with a certain cold satisfaction. She was weak but obedient, which made her the perfect instrument to carry out his latest plan.

"Hinata, the clan has need of you. The council has voted to make what use we can of the Uchiha boy, and it falls to you to look after our interests in this matter."

"Very well, father. What must I do?" A more perceptive daughter would have understood his intentions at once, but Hinata had never been that quick. A pity, but then there was a reason he'd selected her younger sister to succeed him as clan head.

"In three days you will marry Sasuke Uchiha. You will take steps to ensure you bear his child within a year, and a second as soon after that as possible. I expect several other clans will make similar arrangements, so you must ensure that you are not pushed aside by their representatives."

She paled. "Father, I… I had been told that the Byakugaan and the Sharingan do not mix."

"A solution for that difficulty was found some years ago. This afternoon our seal masters and I will remove your Seven Virtues Chastity Seal, and replace it with an array that should ensure the viability of your offspring. It may interest you to know that the array is quite delicate, and its presence will make it impossible for you to receive the Caged Bird seal."

"I see."

Hiashi has expected some relief at this news, but apparently the prospect of imminent marriage still dominated the girl's attention. Well, fair enough. She'd have time to appreciate his generosity later.

"Hinata." He waited patiently until she looked up again before going on. "You are still a Hyuga, no matter what this new law may say. The Uchiha boy will die facing his brother in a year or two, and when that happens the Uchiha clan will be no more. You will return to the clan as the mother of a new bloodline, the most powerful in Konoha. Let nothing stand in the way of this."

"Yes, father." Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, yet another sign of her weakness. No true Hyuuga would let their emotions show in such a disgraceful manner. Was the Uchiha really that repulsive to her?

Well, he was an Uchiha, and they were an unsavory lot at best. But in that case it might be best not to rely too heavily on her acting abilities.

"Perhaps I should add a Hidden Surrender seal to your array." He offered.

She choked. "Sir, if the clan requires this of me I have no choice but to obey. But if you don't want that man to know how much I want to kill him, you'd better make it Wife's Duty guiding Lotus in the Monsoon."

After that shocking pronouncement she turned to go without bothering to ask for permission, an almost inexcusable display of rudeness. What could possibly prompt his normally obedient daughter to act in such an uncivilized manner?

Oh, of course.

"Who is he?"

She stopped in the doorway, her head bowed. "Naruto."

For just a moment his anger was so strong it nearly overcame his self-control. That crude, posturing ape laying hands on a Hyuuga? "Unacceptable!"

"I know." She answered, and slipped quietly out the door.

Well. Perhaps her suggestion on the seals had merit.

--oOoOo--

Tsunade was never a morning person, and her hangover didn't help. She'd dragged herself into the office only an hour before noon, intending to brood in solitude for a bit. But when the two most powerful men in the village request an immediate appointment even a Hokage is wise to comply.

"Ok Danzo, Hiashi, what's this about?"

The men exchanged glances, and Danzo leaned forward to speak. "We've received several urgent intelligence reports from the court in the last two days, including one from a source in the Fire Lord's privy council. I'm afraid the Fire Lord has discovered that Konoha has a jinchuuriki, and he hasn't taken the news well."

Tsunade blinked. "We do? Damn, I've got to find time to finish going through Sarutobi's files. Ok, who is it and what's the problem?"

"The old Hokage passed a law forbidding anyone to mention the jinchuuriki's identity, and I'm afraid it's still in force." Danzo answered. "But the problem should be apparent. Jinchuuriki are extremely unstable, prone to going berserk and wreaking large-scale havoc for reasons no one can predict."

"Indeed." Hiashi went on. "To date the Fourth Hokage's seal work has proved more reliable than that of the other villages, but considering the bijuu in question the consequences of even a partial seal failure would be catastrophic."

"Wait, which bijuu is it?" Tsunade asked. "I don't remember Minato going up against anything but…the Kyuubi. Dear god. He sealed it?"

Danzo nodded gravely. "You appreciate the gravity of the situation. Unfortunately we now have a tiger by the tail. The boy has already been observed calling on its power, and the chances of even the Fourth's seal holding forever seem remote. The seal is designed to kill the Kyuubi if the container dies, but obviously that has never been tested. If it doesn't work there is likely no one in Fire Country who could stop the beast again. We can probably persuade the Fire Lord that an execution is too risky, but he is adamant that the container of the nine-tails not be allowed to become a danger to the realm. Most likely the best we can hope for is exile."

"No." Hiashi interjected. "I still say permanent exile is too risky. Sooner or later our enemies will discover what he is, or he'll decide to seek revenge and make a pact with the beast. I say the best course is to team him up with some of our other problematic ninja and set them on Orochimaru's trail. Eventually one group will kill the other, and regardless of who wins it will mean fewer problems for us."

"Alright gentlemen, it's obvious you both know exactly who we're talking about. I'm not about to make this decision in the dark, so hang on a minute." She pulled a sheet of paper out of her desk and scribbled a few lines, and stamped it with the Hokage's seal. "Here. You're both officially authorized to reveal the jinchuuriki's identity to the current Hokage. So who is it?"

"Naruto." Danzo answered quietly.

Tsunade stared at them, and a vein began to throb at her temple.

"Get out." She growled.

"Hokage, the Fire Lord…" Hiashi began.

She slammed a fist down on her desk so hard the ancient wood cracked. "The Fire Lord can kiss my ass! Out! Goddamn conniving bastards!"

They fled.

Tsunade sagged over her desk. "Bastards. What's happened to this place? This isn't the Konoha I left."

Shizune hesitantly poked her head through the door. "Tsunade?"

"Shizune, go get me all of our intel reports from the Fire Lord's court for the last two weeks. Then cancel my appointments for the afternoon, and come join me. We've got a problem to solve."

--oOoOo--

Three hours later Tsunade's mood was even worse. It was obvious enough that someone was leaking information about the Kyuubi container to the Fire Lord, and whoever it was had taken pains to paint him in the worst light possible. The first official request for action would arrive within a day or two, and after that it would be difficult to put things off for long.

"It's a setup." She fumed to Shizune as the pair made their way through the hospital. "They think they can pressure me into letting them exile the kid, after all he's gone through for them. I'm not going to stand for this."

"I'm not sure what we can do about it." Her companion fretted. "You can't just refuse the Fire Lord without starting a civil war, and Naruto won't even be on his feet for weeks-"

"Granny!" Naruto shouted as they entered his room. "Boy, am I glad to see you! Can you tell these doctor guys I'm ok so I can get out of here already? I'm gonna die of boredom!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes and moved to the bedside, then stopped and did a double-take. "Naruto? Why are you strapped to the bed?"

"Aww, man. One of the nurses caught me coming back from the bathroom and freaked out. I told her I was fine but she wouldn't listen!"

Shizune chuckled. "If a civilian nurse could strap you to the bed I think you're still a little weak."

"Hey! I'm just low on chakra, that's all."

Tsunade was less amused. But a quick diagnostic revealed that under the bandages the gaping hole in Naruto's chest had healed overnight, leaving only a shallow burn. Of his other injuries the more serious ones were well on their way to mending, while the incidental cuts and bruises were as she'd left them the previous evening. The strange scorching she'd noted throughout his chakra circulatory system, and which had mystified her at the time, was likewise mostly healed.

"Naruto, do you always heal this fast?" She asked as she assessed his chakra. The overpowering aura she'd felt in that fight with Orochimaru and Kabuto was reduced to a tiny trickle, but at that it was still more than most chuunin could muster.

"Yep. That's me, tough as a rock. I guess I'll be a little shaky for a few days, but I can get around fine as long as I don't try to fight anyone. So can you let me up now? Please?"

"Alright, kid. Just take it easy until your chakra gets back to normal, understand? I don't want you back in here because you had a second of weakness and fell off a roof or something."

"Alright! Thanks, granny!"

She swatted him lightly on the head. "Stop calling me that, knucklehead! One more 'granny' out of you and I'll leave you tied to that bed for a week."

"No, no, anything but that! They don't even have ramen here!"

"Then what do you call me?"

"Um….Tsu-chan?"

The slug Sannin palmed her face in exasperation. "Sure, kid. What the hell. Shizune, can you finish the amazing annoying boy's exam here? I've got to take care of something."

--oOoOo--

Hinata sat quietly on a roof across the street, sneaking glances of Naruto through his open window. She'd shut down her Byakugan and suppressed her chakra the instant the Hokage had entered the room, but she couldn't bear to pass up this last opportunity completely.

"I'm sorry I never got the chance to confess my feelings for you, Naruto." She said softly. "I always knew you'd go on to someone better. Someone brave and beautiful, who can fight by your side and show the whole world how much she loves you. I just wish I'd had the chance to have a little of you for myself first."

"Why can't you?" Came Tsunade's voice from behind her.

"Eep!" She leaped to her feet and whirled to face the unexpected sound. "Hokage-sama!" Then she realized how suspicious she must look, lurking on a roof spying on a boy who'd convinced the legendary slug Sannin to return to Konoha. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama! I was just looking. I didn't mean any harm."

"Easy, girl. I'm not angry. But answer the question. The kid could use someone his own age right now."

The Hyuuga girl pulled the tattered shreds of her composure together, and bowed her head. "Father has decided that I will wed the Uchiha, ma'am. The day after tomorrow. So I'm afraid I no longer have anything to offer him."

Tsunade studied her with narrowed eyes. "I don't see a Caged Bird seal, and I can't see Hiashi letting you wander around alone if you knew you were going to get one soon. Don't tell me he wants to try another Dojutsu Unification seal?"

"That is clan business, Hokage-sama," The young kunoichi replied carefully. "So it would be grossly inappropriate for me to confirm that you are correct."

"I see the Hyuuga haven't changed." Tsunade commented. "Tell me something. Would you abandon your clan to be with Naruto?"

"Absolutely." Hinata replied without a second's hesitation. "But father would have him assassinated within the week. Naruto's life has been hard enough as it is, Hokage-sama. I won't do anything that would make it worse."

"Don't give up hope so quickly, girl. You never know what curve balls fate might throw you." Tsunade studied the girl's face as the pieces of a plan began coming together. It was insane, but it just might work.

"There might be a way out, if you want it bad enough." She went on after a moment. "But it would be dangerous. You'd have to give up your whole life here, you'd be in constant danger with no guarantee it would ever get better, and even then you probably wouldn't have him all to yourself."

The Hyuuga girl drew herself up, and met the Sannin's eyes. "Hokage-sama, if it means I can help Naruto I don't care what happens to me. Whatever your plan is, please include me if I can be of use."

_Yep, she's got that Hyuuga obsessiveness alright. But the kid could really use some emotional support in his life, and she'd certainly give him that. Besides, Hiashi would blow a gasket for sure._

"Alright, Hinata. I want you to report to my office tomorrow morning for a detached duty assignment. Come prepared for deployment, and don't speculate to anyone about what your mission might be. Understand?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

--oOoOo--

Tsunade sent a shadow clone to take care of the few afternoon duties she couldn't completely put off, while she and Shizune plotted in her office.

"Why the hell is Anko in the 'unreliable/expendable' file? I remember her. Bright kid, a good fighter and a great infiltrator, a bit of a tramp but loyal as hell. She ought to be a jounin by now, easy."

"Orochimaru." Shizune replied. "She was his apprentice after you left, then came back to Konoha a year after his expulsion bearing a cursed seal. After that nothing will ever convince the clan heads of her loyalty. It looks like she's been picking up the worst of the assassination and infiltration missions for… oh, my. Eight years? I'm amazed she's still alive, let alone sane."

"Get her in here. If she's still the girl I remember she'll be all over this."

--oOoOo--

Anko was grinning like a lunatic long before Tsunade finished her cautious explanation. "So I get to give the old bastards a kick in the pants and still have it be a legitimate mission? I'm in, ma'am. I'll keep the kids safe wherever you want to send them. Oh, and let me know if you can't find enough volunteers."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You do remember he's not even fourteen?"

"This is the little scamp with the shadow clones and the turn-into-a-hot-girl jutsu, right? Hell, with a few months of clone training he'll be older than I am, and if he isn't as kinky it's only a matter of time."

Tsunade chuckled. "You may have a point there, especially if this drags on for years the way it might. Just don't scar the kid for life, ok?"

"Never." Anko said seriously. "You know, I'm really not as crazy as I might seem. It's just, the way the damned seal eats at me all the time it's hard to stay in control, and with everyone in the village acting like I'm contagious I don't exactly have a lot of help."

--oOoOo--

After Anko left Shizune looked up from the draft she was working on. "She did have a point, you know. Using their own sick law against them is a nice touch, but it does require at least three girls. Since it's a civil law you can't amend it without a council vote, and that would give away the game."

"Sure, but nothing says they have to be Konoha girls. Check out this little gem." She tossed her aid a diplomatic dispatch from Sand. "Someone must have really been putting the screws to those guys, but can you imagine Danzo's reaction to this?"

Shizune read with wide eyes. "A marriage alliance? You're right, they must really be feeling insecure. Wait, with Naruto? Oh my, why on earth did they pick him?"

Tsunade laughed. "Think about how it looks from their intel reports. Here's this genin who's always telling people he's going to be the next Hokage, who's getting trained by Jiraiya and can kick their crazy junchuuriki's ass, and he's got blonde hair and blue eyes just like Minato. What do you think they're thinking?"

Shizune started to laugh too, but then a thought struck her. "Tsunade, do we actually know that they're wrong?"

"They aren't." Tsunade replied. "I knew it the first time he came at me with that Rasengan in his hand. He looks just like his father." She trailed off, and moved to stand by the window. "Why do you think I'm so pissed about the way they treat him? Even if they haven't been told, it should be obvious to anyone who knew Minato."

"I've had it with this town, Shizune. For all their talk about the Will of Fire, they destroy everything good they touch. I don't know where we'll end up when this is over, but I don't think it's going to be here."

--oOoOo--

Shizune had argued that they shouldn't tell Naruto in advance. He was a terrible actor, and if he said something that gave them away the whole plan would be ruined. But in the end Tsunade refused to make such permanent decisions about the boy's life without even consulting him.

Naruto was already in low spirits, having just heard about Sasuke's impending marriages from an excited Sakura. She was obviously thrilled that she'd made his list, even if the idea of sharing with Ino and Hinata put her off a bit. But what really crushed Naruto was the way she pretended to be completely oblivious to his reaction to the news. In the end he'd managed to half-heartedly congratulate her, and she'd gone skipping off to share the news with the rest of the known universe.

So he listened in unusual silence as Tsunade explained the situation.

"So, the council's going to kick me out because the Fire Lord's afraid of the damned fox?"

"Not quite. Usually when there's a problem with one of our ninja the Fire Lord sends the Hokage a 'request', and the Hokage takes care of it. But there's no way in hell I'm signing an order like that, and the clan heads know it. The council can't do shit to you without my approval as long as you're an active duty ninja, so I figure they'll ask the Fire Lord to banish you. Technically you'd still be a ninja of Konoha, but you wouldn't be allowed back in the country."

"I think I get it. So what are we gonna do?"

"I can't tell you all the details yet kid, but I promise you those bastards are in for a hell of a shock. I just need you to sit tight and not do anything stupid for a couple of days while I work things out, ok?"

"Sure thing, Tsu-chan. I trust you. But, um, if you're about to do something to piss everyone off anyway, is there anything you can do about Hinata? I mean, I know Sakura and Ino are all excited about marrying the bastard, but I don't think she is."

"No, she isn't." Tsunade said carefully. "That's actually another thing I wanted to ask you about. The way the law is written there aren't a lot of loopholes to work with, so I need to know how much she means to you. Would you be willing to put yourself out a lot to help her, or is she just an acquaintance you feel bad for?"

"She's my friend, Tsu-chan. I'd do anything to help her."

"Even if you had to marry her yourself?"

Naruto gaped at her. "What? But, she'd never do that! She's like a princess or something."

"I'm not asking what you think she wants. If it was her only way out, and she agreed, would you go that far for her?"

"Well, yeah. What kind of friend would I be if I left her stuck with a guy she hates?" _Besides_, he thought, _it's not like she'd have to actually do anything with me. Yeah, we could just have a ceremony and pretend._

"That's what I thought. In case it comes up, are there any other girls you feel that way about?"

"Sakura. But she's thrilled about the whole thing. I don't really know any other girls."

--oOoOo--

The next morning's council meeting was a regular weekly event, originally organized by Sarutobi to handle those matters where the Hokage required the approval of the various clan heads. There were more of those in Konoha than most ninja villages, thanks to the efforts of the clans and the previous Hokage's odd democratic impulses.

Today the elders expected to hear an update on the progress of peace negotiations, and perhaps an argument over the newly approved Clan Restoration Act. Beyond that anything was possible, as it was only the new Hokage's second parties had expected a stormy session, but Tsunade seemed calm enough as she called the meeting to order.

"First order of business." She announced as she laid a stack of notes on the podium. "Progress on the peace negotiations with Sand. Not only have they agreed to our terms on border control and information sharing, they've also sent us a proposal for a marriage alliance. They're offering us the old Kage's daughter, Temari, as a bride for one of our village nobles. They're still haggling over details on the reparations we demanded, but I think this demonstrates that we've convinced them most of our military strength survived the recent attack. Considering how serious our actual losses were, and how minor the remaining disagreements on reparations are, I'm inclined to accept this version of the proposal. Your thoughts?"

As the inevitable argument started up, Tsunade had a moment to be grateful that no one had ever devised a jutsu that could copy long documents easily. Shizune acted as her clerk, reading out paragraphs as requested by the council, but no one expected to go through the whole 200-page treaty in detail. Most of the clan heads were focused on the money they stood to make from reparations, so as long as she could keep them focused on that…

"What about that marriage alliance?" Aburami asked. "Which clan did you have in mind?"

Tsunade shrugged. "The girl doesn't have any bloodlines or secret techniques, so she isn't all that important except as a symbol. I figure placing her with a lesser clan would send the right message. Someone with a good reputation and some ties to nobility, but not a lot of political power of their own. We've got a half dozen families with sons about the right age, so it shouldn't be hard to find one they'll go for."

"Quite right." Hiashi sniffed. "Place them in a properly subservient position from the outset, and we'll have less trouble from them later."

There was general agreement on that point, so they went back to haggling over who got how many bars of Suna iron. An hour later she called the vote, and the motion to accept the new treaty with minor revisions passed easily.

"Alright, next up is this Clan Restoration business. Personally I think mass artificial insemination would have been a more effective approach, but what's done is done. However, it seems to me that this law is just full of potential for abuse, so I want to establish a precedent for being especially careful about observing all the formalities whenever it gets invoked."

"The act specifically names the Uchiha as an endangered bloodline clan, so we don't need to do anything about that. But I do want to review his initial bride list, which I just received this morning. Sakura Haruno isn't a clan member, so she's automatically in. Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuuga are obviously both clan members, so I need to verify their status. Yamanaka, do you want to declare Ino a protected clan resource and exempt her from the Act?"

"Are you kidding?" The Yamanaka patriarch chuckled. "She'd never let me hear the end of it. No, clan Yamanaka does not consider Ino a protected resource."

"Alright then, Ino's name stays on the list. Hyuuga, do you want to declare Hinata a protected clan resource and exempt her from the Act?"

"No." Hiashi's answer was crisp and emotionless.

"So noted. On to the last of today's business, then. I'm not sure you folks realized how many remnants of various clans we have in Konoha, but news of the Act is getting around. I've already gotten a whole stack of requests from various people for recognition as endangered clans. Several of them would qualify on everything but that ambiguous clause about the strength of their bloodline ability, so we're going to go through those here and vote on whether any of them seem worth recognizing."

"First off, we've got a guy who can hear bat calls. He claims his clan used to be able to control them for use as scouts, but he's got no idea how those techniques worked."

"Who is this fellow?" The Akimichi representative asked.

"I'd prefer not to embarrass our immigrant ninja with public rejections, especially since we sometimes have infiltration operations based around their quirks. If we vote to recognize one their identity will be made public in the restoration act filings."

There was some grumbling about this, but it was mostly out of habit. The clan heads certainly understood the importance of secrecy for infiltration missions.

"Well, I doubt his hearing is any better than ours." The Inuzuka representative commented. "If we ever want bat spies we've got a better chance of figuring out how to do it than this guy."

There was general agreement on that point, and Tsunade went on down her list.

"Alright, next is a kid with a prehensile tail. Hey, don't laugh, at least I spared you the app from the guy who has perfect teeth. Anyway, does anyone think that qualifies? No?"

"Next up, a couple of brothers who can change their hair color at will. No? Didn't think so."

"Then there's the most interesting of the bunch, a guy with a regeneration ability. It looks like this is actually a recurrence of that secret bloodline some of the northern villages had back before the last great war, probably carried south by refugees. Anyway, anyone think it should qualify?"

"I know a bit about that bloodline." Danzo commented eagerly. "It draws on the bearer's chakra for healing, but much more efficiently than normal medical jutsu. A chuunin who has it can often survive lethal hits, and a jounin is nearly unstoppable. Does the applicant have the enhanced endurance and poison resistance as well?"

Tsunade blinked in surprise. "You know, I hadn't thought of that. Now that you mention it though, his file does have some incidents along those lines."

"Quite a find. Yes, I believe it would be to Konoha's benefit to recognize this claim."

There was a bit more discussion, but in the end the vote wasn't even close.

--oOoOo--

The door to Tsunade's office flew open with a bang, startling Hinata into dropping the book she'd been examining. Anko finished sealing a stack of papers into a storage scroll, and looked up to meet the Hokage's manic grin with one of her own.

"Mission accomplished, ladies." The Sannin announced to the room. "Shizune should be back any minute with Naruto. How's it going on your end?"

"We're good to go." Anko chirped in answer. "We've got supplies for a month, a ton of spare gear, two copies each of all the ANBU and medic-nin training manuals and sixty thousand ryo for expenses. Everything a girl needs for a nice long training trip."

"Sixty thousand? Bah." Tsunade pulled a voucher from her desk and filled it in with a hasty scribble, before stamping it and handing it to Hinata. "Here kid, go get this filled while we finish up."

Hinata stared at the treasury draft. "Four hundred thousand ryo? Will the clerk actually fill this for a genin, hokage-sama?"

"Of course he will. Just do that Hyuuga thing, you know, put your nose in the air and act like it's pocket change. The stamp's all you need for anything under a half-million. Now shoo, we don't have time to waste."

Hinata bowed and left as Tsunade turned to the sealed vault beside her desk. It took two keys, six seals and an application of blood to open.

"Let's see now, what else?" She muttered a moment later as she rummaged through the scrolls and boxes within. "I never did get a chance to read all this stuff. Better leave the mission files, but some of this could be handy. Hey Anko, what's your element?"

"Fire, if I ever found someone who'd teach me techniques. Why?"

"The old man's jutsu library is in here. Hmm. Naruto and Hinata haven't been tested, so I guess I'll just have to take everything. Better safe than sorry. Here, start packing these up."

A minute later the looting was interrupted by the arrival of Naruto and Shizune, with Hinata returning on their heels.

"Wow, that's a lot of scrolls, Tsu-chan." Naruto commented. Anko chuckled at the familiar form of address, while Hinata stared at him.

"You never know what we might need, kid. Here Anko, put the Forbidden Scroll in there too. Naruto, sign this." She handed the blonde ninja an official-looking scroll.

He shrugged and signed without bothering to look at it. "Ok, what was that for?"

"Congratulations, kid. You're now officially the last surviving member of an endangered bloodline clan, just like Sasuke. Let's see now, it looks like the first girl on your list is Hinata Hyuuga. Oh, wait, she's already on Sasuke's list, isn't she? Shizune, what does the Act say about that?"

"Any cases of conflicting claims shall be resolved at the Hokage's discretion." Shizune recited with a sly smile.

"Oh, ok. Well, obviously Naruto's claim is superior so that Uchiha kid will just have to find someone else. " Tsunade pulled another document from the stack on her desk and stamped it. "There, that's all taken care of. Now, it looks like the second girl is Temari. Where have I heard that name before, Shizune?"

"She's the one mentioned in that marriage alliance offer from Suna, Hokage. You remember, they wanted Naruto to marry her to seal the peace treaty?

"Oh yeah, I remember now. Guess they won't be objecting, then. Well, who's the third lucky girl here? Oh, it's Anko. Hey Anko, do you have a clan head who might object?"

"Nope. Guess I'm stuck being the kid's personal sex kitten." The buxom assassin replied cheerfully. "Gee, I sure hope he doesn't figure out he can just order me to do any kinky thing that comes to mind whenever he wants."

Hinata blushed. Shizune snickered. Naruto looked terrified for a moment, until a thought struck him.

"Wait, wait, this is one of those 'underneath the underneath' things isn't it? I go to Suna with Hinata-chan so her dad can't make trouble, and Anko goes with us to make sure nothing happens to her or Temari?"

"Not quite, Naruto, but you're getting there." Tsunade answered. "Let's see, where was I? Oh, right. This is an especially promising bloodline, so I'm assigning Konoha's top two medic-nins to give you and your brides the best possible care. That's me and Shizune, in case you were wondering. Oh, but that means I won't be here to take care of the paperwork, doesn't it? Guess I'll have to appoint a stand-in."

She pulled another document from the stack and stamped it. "There we go. Jiraiya can sit in as acting Hokage for a year while we get things in order, and if I don't make it back for some strange reason he can take over permanently. Guess they'd better keep him happy, since he'll be the last S-rank ninja in Konoha."

Anko snickered. "Pretty slick, ma'am. Since you haven't resigned they can't touch us legally, and the only person they have to bitch at is the guy they can't afford to lose. Bet the old goat will have a lot of fun with it, too. So, you think they'll wise up and get the kid's exile rescinded?"

"Oh, they'll come around eventually. You have no idea how bad Jiraiya can get if there's no one around to keep him in line. We'll just tour whatever friendly nations will have us for a few months while the message sinks in. I can always have Jiraiya send us more money if we need it."

"Hey, can we visit Snow Country?" Naruto asked. "I've been wanting to see Yukie-chan again."

"Oh, the Snow Queen is 'Yukie-chan' to you is she?" Teased Anko. "Maybe we should have put her name on the list too."

Naruto sputtered. Hinata giggled. "We might need the help, Anko. Mass Shadow Clone, you know."

Naruto stared at the normally-shy girl like she'd grown a second head. Anko chortled and slapped her on the back. "Go, Hinata! We'll make a proper pervert out of you yet, girl!"

"Alright people, that's enough of that." Tsunade interrupted. "You can finish despoiling the kids' innocence later, Anko. But I want to be at least sixty miles from Konoha by nightfall, so we'd better get this show on the road."

--oOoOo--

They left in two groups. Naruto and Anko took the main gate, bearing a mission order with the Hokage's seal. Tsunade, Shizune and Hinata exited a different gate twenty minutes later, and the two parties were miles from the city wall before they joined up again. It was well after dark by the time an analyst on Danzo's staff put the departure lists from the two gates together and became concerned. By the time the oddity was confirmed and Danzo himself informed the Hokage's office was closed for the day, and it was far too late to disturb the clan heads for anything short of a definite emergency.

The old ninja was furious when he stopped by the Hokage's office the next morning and confirmed Tsunade's absence. The appointment of Jiraiya as acting Hokage didn't help, especially when it was discovered that the appointment was news to Jiraiya himself. The toad sage carefully inspected the sealed message left for him on the Hokage's desk, before deactivating the security seal and opening it.

_Jiraiya,_

_Apparently the advisors wanted a figurehead instead of a real Hokage. Yeah, the idiots should have known better. But I'm not going to be their patsy while they ruin everything Konoha used to stand for, and I'm damned sure not going to put up with them going over my head to the Fire Lord to get rid of Naruto. So I'm going to be gone until they come to their senses._

_Yeah, I know you don't want to be Hokage. So make sure they don't want you either. We're at peace now, so you can blow off most of the work and spend your time building up that 'super-pervert' image of yours. Make all the public baths co-ed. Change the female ANBU uniform to a bikini. Turn the Hokage's residence into strip club. The more outrageous you can get, the better. I want those idiots so desperate to have me back that they'll do whatever it takes to get the Fire Lord to rescind Naruto's exile._

_If it doesn't work, you'll always be welcome to join us wherever we end up._

_Tsunade_

He contemplated the message in silence for a long moment, before incinerating it with a minor fire jutsu.

"Well?" Danzo demanded.

"Yep, she wants me to hold down the seat until she gets back. But I think we'd better check the records office, and see what else she did yesterday."

--oOoOo--

Konoha's official records office was located in the basement of the Hokage's tower, so it was a short trip. They arrived to find Hiashi Hyuuga clutching a sheaf of documents and nearly shouting at a terrified clerk.

"This! This is an outrage! What does that woman think she's doing? Where is she! I demand answers, damn you!"

Danzo stared at the normally unflappable elder in shock. Jiraiya merely grinned. "Why, Hiashi, what could possibly have you so upset?"

"This!" He growled, shoving the documents under Jiraiya's nose. "This is inexcusable. An outrage! Look at what that madwoman has done!"

The first document was an official filing under the Clan Restoration Act, naming one Uzumaki Naruto the last known bearer of a protected bloodline. The second was a proclamation resolving the conflicting Uzumaki and Uchiha claims on one Hyuuga Hinata in favor of the Uzumaki clan. After that came a marriage certificate signed by the Hokage herself, with Shizune and Anko as witnesses. Each document was stamped and filed within minutes of the previous one.

"Looks like you pissed her off, Hiashi." The Sannin chuckled. "Damn, the girl even renounced her clan. Well, they've already had their wedding night by now so you're just shit outta luck. But hey, it's only one girl. Under my leadership, temporary as it may be, we'll have lots of pretty girls!" He rubbed his hands eagerly. "First we need to fix up that dowdy old ANBU uniform, maybe go to a bare midriff and some nice mini-skirt action for the ladies. Then we can recruit some new instructors to update the academy curriculum, and give all our younger kunoichi some proper re-training. Yeah, the Bacchanaliates for the 'tease and please' bits, and the Black Rose Sisterhood for the dominatrix routine. I bet I can get them both to relocate to Konoha if we pay them enough. Oh, and that guy with the "asset" enhancement seal. Yeah, put that on all the academy girls, and we'll have a fine new crop of busty babes in a few years…"

The councilors shared a look of horrified realization, and backed slowly out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

* * *

On a muddy road through one of Fire Country's endless forests two messengers crossed paths. One, an official courier wearing the daimyo's colors, rode north to deliver official notice of one Uzumaki Naruto's exile to the hidden village of Konoha. The other, disguised as a trapper carrying furs to market, trudged south with a secret dispatch informing the daimyo of the new Hokage's recent antics.

The official messenger would take nearly a week to reach his destination. The spy, being an ordinary man on foot rather than a fast-moving ninja, would take more than twice that to carry his information to the capital.

--oOoOo--

The trip from Konoha had been far too slow for Tsunade's taste, with Naruto still too weak to keep up a good pace for any length of time. Anko ended up carrying the young blond on her back for most of the trip, which of course led to an endless stream of teasing comments and veiled invitations. But she hadn't gone any further than that, so Tsunade just smiled and ignored it.

Three days of travel brought the small party to Twin Falls Gorge, a small resort town in northern River Country. There Tsunade booked palatial quarters at the Twin Falls Empress, a hot spring resort on the edge of the town that boasted a spectacular view of the great waterfalls that gave the valley its name. With miles of dense woods just north of the resort and a staff renowned for their discretion it was an ideal spot for the group to pause to make plans and do a little preparation before moving on. Of course, after settling in the four kunoichi immediately headed for the private hot spring adjoining their suite.

"Oooh, this is just what I needed." Anko murmured as she sank into the steaming waters. "I tell you, that kid may be short but he's solid muscle. Next time we have to carry him somewhere we're taking turns."

"But Anko, we wouldn't want to get between you and your husband." Shizune joked. "Especially on your honeymoon."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I'm telling you, that guy's going to be a prime catch in a couple of years."

Tsunade frowned as she joined them. "Anko, you do realize he thinks this is just a political maneuver? For that matter, he may be right. With any luck the council will back down, and we can repeal this whole stupid harem business before any permanent harm is done."

Anko snorted. "Good luck with that one, boss. Those geezers are more stubborn that stone, and I doubt anything short of a kunai between the eyes is gonna get through to them. But yeah, I hear you. I'm really just Hinata's bodyguard here, right? The Hyuuga have a nasty habit of assassinating anyone who tries to leave the clan, and we wouldn't want that to happen to her."

Tsuande nodded, and Hinata studied the pair silently for a moment before quietly asking the question that had been troubling her. "Um, Hokage-sama, where does that l-leave me? We can't send Temari home without risking another war, but if you r-repeal the Clan Restoration Act…"

"I know, I know. Jeez, this seemed like such a clever idea a few days ago. I guess we'll have to keep at least that part of the law active. Just don't feel like you have to, you know, rush things. You're still so young."

"I have no intention of becoming a m-mother before I make jounin, Hokage-sama." Hinata blushed slightly, but pressed on. "My chakra control is easily sufficient for, um, those techniques. But T-Temari is already, what, sixteen? Seventeen? I'm sure she'll have…expectations. I'm n-not about to let her go f-first."

There was chuckling all around at that, and Anko leaned over to muss her hair. "That's the spirit, Hinata! Grab hold with everything you've got, and don't ever let go. Oh, and let me know if you two need help figuring out what goes where." She added with a playful leer.

Hinata's blush brightened and she sank deeper into the water. "Thank you, Anko-san. I w-would appreciate… that."

Silence.

"Um, what?" Anko asked, a bit stunned.

Hinata took a deep breath and gathered her courage. _Think of it like one of those diplomatic training sessions_, she told herself. _You're making a proposal to a foreign power, and you can't afford to show weakness._

"Anko-san, it concerns me that Temari is older, more skilled and much more outgoing than I am. I've always been too shy to let Naruto know of my, um, feelings. But that has to change, quickly, or I'll be pushed aside in the end. I would greatly appreciate your help in this matter."

"Ah, Hinata, that may not be such a good idea-" Tsuande began.

"Sure it is. Don't worry, Hinata, I've got your back!" Anko beamed, and hugged the red-faced genin. "Hell, you're so cute we'll have him eating out of your hand in no time."

"But-" Shizune began.

"Thank you, Anko-san. And in return, may I invite you to consider this…um…potentially more than an assignment? If you wish. I know Naruto is a bit afraid of you, but that will change once he gets to know you. I think we could persuade him to, um, give you a chance. Besides, even if the Act is eventually repealed, his lineage entitles him to two or three wives and as many concubines as they can tolerate."

"Hinata!" Tsunade exclaimed. "How do you know about that?"

"Um, Hokage-sama, there's a gallery in the Hyuuga compound with paintings of all the previous Hokages as they appear to the Byakugan. His parentage is almost as obvious as the seal."

"Wait, whoa, what are we talking about here?" Anko interjected. "I know Naruto grew up an orphan. Are you saying…oh, I get it. Someone wanted to hide him so bad they covered up who he really was?"

Hinata looked inquiringly at Tsunade, who sighed and nodded. "Yeah. He's Minato's son. Apparently Sarutobi thought hiding him in plain sight was the best way to protect him from his father's enemies."

"Protect him? Are you shitting me? He's been more of a pariah than I am, and that's saying something." Anko fumed. "There's no way the elders are really in the dark about it either. Damn it, why is it that every time I find out a village secret it turns out to be another story about someone who deserves better getting screwed over by our own people? Wait, is that why Suna picked him for the marriage alliance?"

"That's my guess." Tsunade replied. Then her eyes narrowed as she realized what else Hinata had just revealed. "Hinata, how long have you known about the seal?"

"Since I was six, Hokage-sama. That's when my Byakugan began developing. Father wouldn't tell me what it was, of course, but he made sure my tutors covered the right topics to make it obvious. Then I saw the paintings, and my Byakugan developed enough to show me his prisoner. I've known exactly who and what Naruto is, what he does for the village and how they repay him for it, since I was eight." She smiled softly. "I didn't pick him just for his looks."

--oOoOo--

In the office of the Hokage, Jiraiya chuckled to himself as he signed an order he'd never thought would see the light of day. "Don't worry Tsunade, these bozos will be begging to have you back in no time. Of course, you may have a little trouble repealing these laws once they've been around awhile…"

The paper he added to his out box read:

_By order of the Acting Hokage:_

_In the interests of further commercial development of the village of Konoha and environs, and to ensure the morale of its ninja, the civil code of the village is hereby amended as follows:_

_ 1) Adult females below the age of forty shall be exempt from all public indecency laws, including all restrictions on mode of dress and lascivious activities.  
2) __The prohibition against sexual relations between females is repealed.  
3) __The prohibitions against nude dancers, prostitution and personal massage services are repealed. Individuals currently imprisoned for the violation of these laws shall be released immediately.  
4) __Any bar, restaurant or private club which provides entertainment in the form of partially or fully nude female dancers shall be exempt from the Konoha property tax.  
5) __Women who are employed as prostitutes, exotic dancers or masseuses shall be classed as essential military service providers, and shall therefore be exempted from all regular Konoha taxes and special levies except those specifically directed at military industries._

_The provisions of this law shall go into effect on the first day of the month following its signature._

_Signed,_

_Acting Hokage Jiraiya_

"He he. That'll clear the way for Mai-chan and her girls, and since those laws are all part of the original civil code I don't need anyone's signature but mine to repeal them."

"Let's see now, what else would drive the old men crazy?"

--oOoOo--

Tsunade released her final diagnostic jutsu and smiled. "Good news, Naruto. It looks like your chakra is finally back to normal, so you can start training again whenever you want."

"Woo hoo! Yeah, finally! Hey, as long as we're all hanging out here maybe you could teach me something?"

The slug Sannin laughed. "Oh, I plan to kid, don't worry. You and Hinata both need some serious training to be ready for kinds of situations we're liable to end up in, and we may not have a lot of time. But first I need to see where you are now. What kind of training schedule did Kakashi have you on back before the chuunin exam, anyway?"

"Huh? Training schedule? Do you mean, what did we do as a team?" The orange-clad genin scratched his head.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Yes, dummy. What else would I mean?"

"Well, let's see. Usually he'd tell us to meet him at the bridge at seven, so we'd all stand around there until nine or ten when he finally showed up. Then we'd pick up a D-rank mission, go do it, turn it in, and break up for the day. Sometimes if we messed up he'd make us work on whatever we got wrong for an hour or two. Oh, and every couple of weeks we'd skip the mission so he could lecture us about teamwork or something, and maybe do a little sparring."

Tsunade scowled. "You're kidding. No real taijutsu training? No tactical training or practice maneuvers? Hell, what about teaching you a normal attack jutsu to work with so you don't have to rely on something as dangerous as Shadow Clone?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, Kaka-sensei always said we should work on that kind of stuff on our own. That's why I always spent the rest of the day out training by myself. Sasuke did the same thing, but of course he has a bunch of family scrolls and stuff."

"That does sound like Kakashi." Anko confirmed. "In ANBU he was always one of those guys who throws you off the deep end and expects you to figure out how to swim on your own. Like you're gonna just spontaneously reinvent whatever technique you happen to need if you're desperate enough."

Naruto scratched his head again. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Hinata, why don't you tell us what your training schedule was like?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. Well, our team only met five days a week. On those days I'd start with a light warm-up before breakfast, and then our team meeting at seven. Kurenai-sensei was always very insistent that we arrive promptly. We'd spend a couple of hours on taijutsu drills and group combat training against sensei's illusions, then take a break to do a D-rank mission and have lunch. After that we'd spend another two hours on tracking and reconnaissance exercises, again usually with illusions as targets. Then I'd return home for my jyuuken lesson, which would last another three hours. On weekends I'd have another jyuuken lesson in the morning instead of the team meeting."

"Wow. That sounds really cool, Hinata. No wonder you're so strong."

The shy genin blushed and looked away. Tsunade smiled, before straitening and assuming a stern expression. "That's what genin training is supposed to be like, Naruto. I hope you're still as enthusiastic about it when we're done with you." She turned to wave Anko and Shizune over.

"Alright folks, listen up. We've got maybe two weeks before we need to pack up and head for Suna to finalize the marriage alliance, and we've got a pair of genin here who are nowhere near ready to be off by themselves in that kind of environment. I'm sure Anko will do her best if something happens, but any bodyguard will tell you that clueless clients are a hell of a lot harder to keep alive than competent ones. So before we leave you two have some serious training to do. Naruto, do you think you can you maintain a couple of clones from now until this evening?"

"No sweat, Tsu-chan. I do more than that all the time." Naruto replied. "But what does that have to do with training?"

Tsunade gave an unladylike snort. "Don't tell me you haven't even figured that out yet? Never mind, you'll find out soon enough. For now just make a clone to go with Anko and Hinata. Anko, I want you to take those two up into the woods and start them on a crash course in how not to get assassinated. Awareness, stealth and evasion, illusion and poison detection, the whole nine yards. While you're at it see if you can find out what Naruto's range for maintaining shadow clones is. I'll give you a day to give them the basics, then we all start the old 'Constant Vigilance!' training on them."

Anko grinned. "Will do, boss! Come on you two, this is going to be fun. Oh, Naruto, better make a second clone so he can replace this one when he dies. You're gonna do a lot of that today."

As the manic special jounin dragged her newest victims away, Tsunade turned to her apprentice. "Shizune, I want you to take another of Naruto's clones and put him through first aid training-"

"Aw, man! What do I have to waste time on that boring junk for?"

"Idiot!" Tsunade barked in reply. "Just because you heal stupidly fast doesn't mean everyone else does. There's a good chance Hinata's family will try to have her eliminated to maintain their exclusive control over the Byakugan, and if someone gets past Anko you could easily be her only chance of survival. With serious injuries getting basic treatment in the first few minutes can make the difference between recovery and death."

Naruto stared at the older woman with wide eyes. "Those stuck-up guys are going to try to hurt Hinata? But they're family! How could even a jerk like that Hiashi guy do that to his own daughter?"

"The Hyuuga are obsessed with power, Naruto." Shizune replied quietly. "They already use seals to control both the branch family and their own children, and they were going to use Hinata as an experimental subject to try to combine their bloodline with the Sharingan. Now that she's defied them it's inevitable that they'll try to kill her. Oh, they'll come up with some ploy to make it look like they aren't the ones responsible, but Hiashi will be the one pulling the strings."

Naruto clenched his fists. "Hinata may be a little weird, but she's got to be the nicest person I've ever met. I swear, I am not going to let those assholes in her clan kill her just for wanting to live her own life. I'll stop them, no matter what it takes, and that's a promise."

"The Hyuuga have needed to be taken down a peg for a long time, kid." Tsunade interjected. "You'll get your chance. But for now you've got a lot to learn if you want to be able to be a strong partner for her. Now send a clone to train with Shizune, and you and I will stay here and see what we can do about fixing that bastardized mess you call a taijutsu style."

"Taijutsu training? Yeah, hitting something pretty good to me right now."

--oOoOo--

The council rarely met without the Hokage present, but various factions often held informal meetings of their own to plan strategy and resolve contentious issues. Tsunade's abrupt departure led to quite a number of such meetings, but one private consultation between the advisors and the head of the Hyuuga clan set the tone for most of them.

"It's outrageous!" Homura fumed. "That man is going to fill our streets with prostitutes! And the tax abatements! Why on earth would we want even more raucous clubs and gambling parlors in our city?"

"Agreed." Hiashi replied. "But what can we do? Tax policy is the Hokage's sole prerogative, and the laws he's repealed predated the council. We could pass them again as civil laws, but he'd simply veto them."

"Indeed." Danzo commented. "Besides, Jiraiya is a side issue. Tsunade thinks she can force us to capitulate by having him act the fool. We must demonstrate that such tactics will not sway us."

Hiashi nodded. "Indeed. This is a contest of wills, and the Hokage's position is the weaker one. We shall simply stand firm until she realizes that nothing Jiraiya can do will sway us."

--oOoOo--

Naruto sighed gratefully as he relaxed into the warm waters of the hot spring. He'd just gotten the best day's training of his entire life, but after being put through the wringer by Tsunade for nearly ten hours he was dead tired.

"I'm glad this place is fancy enough to have split men and women's sides, or I'd never get a chance to do this. I bet Tsu-chan and Anko will be in there half the night."

He could vaguely hear the sound of voices through the wall that separated the two sides of the hot spring, but the wood partition was twelve feet tall and thick enough that he couldn't make out details over the distant rumble of the falls. Which was probably just as well, since he had plenty to think about already.

"I can't believe Kaka-sensei never told me about using clones for training." Indeed, he'd been mystified by Tsunade's orders all morning. It wasn't until she had him release the clones during their brief lunch break, and he suddenly remembered three different versions of the morning's events, that he finally got the idea.

"Man, if I'd known about that I'd have totally left Sasuke in the dust. Um, if I could find anyone to train me. Oh well, it doesn't look like that's going to be a problem anymore. I just hope Tsu-chan figures out how to fix everything soon, especially this messed up marriage thing."

Not that he'd necessarily mind being married to Hinata for real. She was a good kunoichi, not to mention cute, and she was just incredibly nice to him. They'd been traveling together for four days now, and she still hadn't hit him once!

"Get real." He muttered to himself. "She's practically a princess, even if her family are a bunch of dicks. She'll probably marry a prince or a kage or something. I'm just lucky I get to hang out with her for awhile, until Tsunade figures out how to fix things so she isn't stuck with that bastard Sasuke."

Sasuke was still a sore subject, although not as bad as Sakura. But if he started thinking about those two he'd end up brooding or something, especially if he let himself dwell on what they were probably doing together right now. Sakura had said something about a rush wedding, so it was probably already over. That meant a honeymoon…

"Stop that!" He said to himself sternly. "No brooding allowed! I promised myself I'd never be a brooding emo-duck-butt like Sasuke, and I never go back on my promises. I've got to concentrate on protecting Hinata, and surviving that special training the crazy lady was talking about. What kind of a technique name is 'Constant Vigilance', anyway?"

As a distraction it wasn't much, but he'd make do. Of course, if he'd been able to hear the conversation on the other side of the divider Sasuke's marital activities would have been the last thing on his mind.

"Come on, don't give me that." Anko pouted. "We all know perfectly well you can see through clothes with those eyes of yours. Hell, you could get a nice look right through the wall if you wanted to. I just want to know what I've got to look forward to."

Hinata blushed and sank into the water until it reached her chin. "I w-would never d-do that, Anko-san."

"Uh huh, pull the other one. You can see in every direction at once, girl. You can't help but look. Now spill!"

"T-that's private, Anko." Hinata protested feebly. "I couldn't b-betray his t-trust like that."

"Ah, so you admit that you know. Progress!"

Tsunade noted the pair as she entered the bath. "Anko, what are you harassing the poor girl about now?"

"Hey! I'm not harassing her!" The buxom assassin protested. "I just wanted to know what kind of blade Naruto's packing. Come on cutie, you don't even have to say it. Just hold your hands the right distance apart."

Shizune giggled. "Oh, you're bad Anko. But you'd better watch out, you don't want to make the senior wife cross with you. There's no telling how long she might make you wait for your first turn."

Hinata gaped at her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Like Naruto can't make enough clones to satisfy the whole village at once if he wants to." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Come to think of it, there's some serious perversion potential there. I wonder if he's practiced on that girl form of his?"

"Eep!"

Anko turned to find that the subject of her interrogation was now completely underwater. "Huh. Wonder how long she can hold her breath?"

"Good gods and goddesses, I'm going to need more sake at this rate." Tsunade grumbled. "Are you trying to give the girl a heart attack?"

"Actually I was trying to help her get over that shyness problem." Anko confessed. "She doesn't have enough time to do it gradually, so we're stuck with shock therapy. But I'll admit the way she's acting has me curious."

Shizune giggled again. "Oh, I don't think you'll be disappointed. You should have heard the way the nurses at the hospital gossiped about his not-so-little morning problem."

"Oh, really? Tell me more…"

"Ahem." Tsunade interrupted. "If we can set aside the vitally important topic of Naruto's penis for the moment, I'd like to get your impressions of the day's training."

"Spoilsport." Anko complained. "Ok, ok, you're the boss. You can come back up, Hinata, we're done for now." The former Hyuuga slowly surfaced, confirming the general guess that she'd continued following the conversation by reading lips with her Byakugan.

"There's my cute little protégé." Anko laughed and mussed the girl's hair. "We had a pretty good first day in the field. This little minx is going to be hell on wheels in close combat if we can ever teach her a little aggression. Good situational awareness, great reflexes, catches on quick. Good thing, since Naruto's a complete lunkhead. He's got incredible endurance, but he's slow and kinda clumsy and he can't pay attention for five minutes. Oh, I did notice there's something weird going on with his clones though. He didn't even know Shadow Clone has a range limit, and we got a good five miles up the valley without ever finding his."

"Interesting." Tsunade mused. "His high chakra level must make the connection more robust than usual, which would give him an improved range. The rest of that squares with what I saw, though. He's a hard worker when he's motivated but he can't stay focused for long, and getting an idea into that head of his takes explosives."

Shizune frowned. "I don't know why you two are so down on him. He was a little restive for our first hour or so, but once he settled down he was one of the better students I've had. We made it almost a third of the way through the ANBU first aid program, and that's usually a week-long course."

"Oh, come on Shizune!" Anko protested. "This guy got 'killed' fifteen times just trying to get through the basic ANBU intro to traps and ambushes. He usually doesn't make the same mistake twice, but he has to learn every little thing the hard way."

"N-Naruto can be much better than that, Anko." Hinata argued. "J-just…not today."

"Really?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "It does bug me that he managed to learn the Rasengan so fast, even though his chakra control sucks. Something just doesn't add up…"

"H-Hokage-sama? Could it have something to do with the seal? Or the chakra leaking from the, um, f-fox?" The young girl offered.

"Hmm. The seal itself shouldn't have any effect on Naruto, and it's designed to carefully meter the chakra it releases so it doesn't interfere with his jutsu use. Of course, the one chance I've had to really look at it he was in chakra exhaustion and the seal had locked itself down to prevent contamination."

"It d-doesn't look like an even flow." Hinata observed. "Normally, I mean. It stops and starts all the time, and it turns red whenever he does anything strenuous." She shuddered. "I don't know how he can stand it when that happens. That red chakra is evil."

The older kunoichi exchanged a look. "That doesn't sound good." Tsunade admitted. "But we've checked him over a dozen times without turning up anything odd. I wonder…"

"I wonder if the fox can feel it when you start a medical scan." Said Shizune. "I don't like the sound of this at all."

"Neither do I." Tsunade agreed. "I want us to stick a little closer together during tomorrow's training. Anko, give Hinata breaks now and then so she can keep an eye on Naruto's chakra. The real one and the clones, come to think of it. But don't tell Naruto what you're doing. If there is something funny going on with the seal I don't want to take a chance of alerting that thing."

"Yes, ma'am." Hinata agreed.

"Good. With any luck we can spot a pattern in whatever's going on before we're done here." Tsunade signed, and turned to climb out of the pool. "Now, I think I really am going to see where they keep the sake around here."

"But, Tsunade, you said you were going to cut back." Shizune fussed as the followed her mentor out of the hot spring.

"I also said that kid was going to drive me back to drink, and it looks like I was right."

Anko watched thoughtfully as they left. "She worries too much, doesn't she? I mean, if you were seeing anything different from the usual you would have said so, right?"

"Yes. It's hardly changed in years."

"Good." She nodded decisively, and turned back to her companion. "I'm glad nothing's wrong with my favorite goofball. Now," she held her hands a few inches apart. "Bigger or smaller?"

Hinata giggled, and moved her hands considerably further apart. Anko whistled appreciatively, and the shy girl smiled. "I-I keep telling you, I didn't pick his n-name out of a hat."

--oOoOo--

A sandstorm roared over the dreary stone domes and towers of Suna, battering the wooden shutters that sealed their numerous windows and forcing all but the most determined ninja indoors. But the inhabitants of the Village Hidden in the Sand were long accustomed to the local weather, and were hardly going to allow it to impede their operations. Messengers still came and went, relying on secret jutsu to protect themselves from the scouring winds, and the underground tunnels connecting key buildings were thick with traffic.

The village council had spent most of the day in session, struggling with the thorny issue of how to insure Suna's survival. With their kage dead the clan heads had found themselves without a single S-rank ninja to consider as a possible successor, and the alternative of offering their resident jinchuuriki the seat was unpalatable at best. Few ninja really believed the psychotic killer's recent change of heart, and in any event he was still terribly young for such a post. But with their own daimyo undermining the village in favor of their rivals the need for a strong leader was urgent.

The recent outbreak of political intrigue in Fire Country only complicated this picture.

Temari knew all of this, of course. As a mere chuunin, and a recently-promoted one at that, she was hardly privy to the council's deliberations. But as the Kazekage's daughter she'd been involved in politics since she could talk, and the situation would have been easy to read even without the tidbits her jounin sensei occasionally passed on. The fact that her quarters were only two floors below the council chamber, and just off the stairwell the clan heads usually used to reach it, certainly didn't hurt. A wind adept could hear amazing amounts of gossip from the less cautious elders if she was careful.

Still, she was a bit surprised when Baki broke from the throng of departing elders to knock at her door.

"Sensei." She nodded as she swung the heavy wooden portal aside. "What's up?"

"Mission briefing." He said shortly.

She waved him inside, and paused to do a quick check for eavesdroppers before sealing the door behind him. Then she considered for a moment, and set up a sound barrier jutsu before turning to join him in her modest parlor.

"Tea?" She asked. "Or are we in a hurry?"

"No rush." He replied shortly.

She nodded, and retired to her kitchen to think while the water heated. Meeting here instead of calling the team together would indicate a solo mission, which wasn't completely unprecedented. But her sensei seemed especially serious today, which hinted that something big was going on. There weren't that many circumstances where an especially important mission would require a kunoichi to go in solo, and most of them weren't pretty.

There were butterflies in her stomach as she rejoined her teacher, but she resolutely ignored them as she served the tea. Baki nodded and sipped politely before setting his cup aside.

"Temari, the council has found it necessary to assign you a mission that could prove vital to the survival of this village. Indeed, if the situation with the daimyo continues to escalate it could eventually become our only hope for survival. But if you succeed, this will be the last briefing I give you as your jounin sensei."

Her eyes widened. That sounded like a suicide mission, but as a purely pragmatic matter of policy Suna only sent male ninja on that sort of operation. After all, a Hidden Village can lose half its men every generation and still prosper, but one that looses too many women will quickly go extinct. But there was another kind of mission that would permanently remove a kunoichi from the village…

"We had to make a marriage alliance?" She asked.

"I'm afraid so. As you know Konoha took significant casualties in the war, but ours were equally severe. Worse, the return of the Sannin to active duty actually leaves Konoha stronger than before. At this point those two could probably destroy the village unaided, and that's not even considering the potential of their jinchuuriki."

Temari nodded. "Yeah, he was a big surprise. I never would have thought that little loudmouth could beat Gaara. Are we sure he's really the Kyuubi container?"

Usually Baki was closed-mouthed about that sort of intelligence, but she had hopes that he'd be more forthcoming than usual given the circumstances. Her hope was vindicated when he nodded.

"Yes. Intel has confirmation from multiple sources in Konoha, and our own operatives identified the red chakra he used during his fight with Neji as the Kyuubi's. Curiously, that seems to be the only use he makes of it. But our seal masters are convinced the Fourth Hokage must have made a major breakthrough in containment theory to seal such a powerful bijuu, so it shouldn't be surprising that their jinchuuriki's abilities are a bit different than the others."

"I suppose. He seems pretty sane, so they must be doing something right. So, who am I supposed to marry?" She wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospect of a political marriage, but there were worse fates for a kunoichi. Depending on who it was, of course.

Baki paused before answering, and her stomach lurched. _Oh god, it must be bad. Don't tell me I'm stuck with some feeble old man or something. Or worse, Jiraiya._

"I believe it will be important for you to understand the council's reasoning in this. Originally they intended to propose a match with one of the more tolerable Leaf clans, such as the Inuzuka or the Yamanaka. But when intel began screening the records for possibilities we made a momentous discovery. You see, the Fourth Hokage had a son."

Temari gasped.

"Indeed. It appears the boy's identity was concealed for his own protection, leaving him to be raised as a war orphan instead of a noble. Obviously this was a significant gamble, and it may even be the source of the rift that led to the Sannin abandoning Konoha after the Third Hokage resumed power. At any rate, once we started looking into it the façade fell apart fairly easily. His appearance, his ambitions, his penchant for winning impossible battles, even his recent apprenticeship under Jiraiya – it all confirms our conclusion. At first we were thrown off by the reports on his personality, but once we received word that he'd mastered the Rasengan it became obvious that it must be a cover…"

"Wait, you're talking about Naruto!" Temari interrupted. "That can't possibly be right. Can it?"

"When he summoned Gamabunta he could have simply been tapping into the Kyuubi's chakra, but Rasengan is the sort of A-rank chakra shaping technique that requires jounin-level skill to master. So is Shadow Clone for that matter, and we have unconfirmed reports that he was actually inventing new jutsu even as an academy student. There's also the fact that he's managed to become a national hero to two of the minor nations, and emerged victorious from at least three confrontations with S-rank opponents, all while still technically a genin."

"That's…one hell of a cover. You're right, there's no way some loudmouthed idiot could have done all that." She shook her head ruefully. "I've actually met him half a dozen times, and I was completely fooled. But if that's the case… wow, at that rate I guess he really will be Hokage some day. But then why would he agree to this kind of alliance?"

"We had hoped that Tsunade would persuade him to accept it, both to secure the current peace and as a foundation for his future power base. It's not as if the son of the famous Yellow Flash is going to have trouble persuading future suitors to settle for a concubine's position, especially once he takes the Hokage's hat. Unfortunately events have overtaken us."

"After the Uchiha's attempted defection Konoha enacted a special bloodline preservation program to replenish the ranks of their Sharingan users, which essentially amounted to assigning several kunoichi a lifetime missions to revive his clan. This was not entirely unexpected given Konoha's enthusiasm for bloodlines, but some sort of internal power struggle was triggered in the process."

"At this point what we know is that Naruto, Tsunade and Jiraiya are clearly allied, but someone has persuaded the Fire Lord to exile Naruto on the pretext of keeping the Kyuubi away from his country. You'll note that this publicly identifies him as the nine tails jinchuuriki, which negates most of their previous efforts to keep him out of the public eye. But just before the edict became official Tsunade arranged to include Naruto in the bloodline program, which by Konoha law allows him to take several wives without announcing his noble status."

"She then left town with her apprentice, Naruto, the Hyuuga clan heir and one of ANBU's best assassins, leaving Jiraiya behind to run Konoha in her absence. On the surface this appears to be an attempt to pressure the Fire Lord into rescinding his decree of exile, but the chance of such a strategy working is so slim that we feel there must be a less obvious ploy in progress as well."

"When word of this first arrived from our field agents we feared that the chance of a renewed alliance with the Leaf had been lost, but this morning a courier arrived with their signed acceptance of our offer."

Temari leaned forward to regard her instructor with narrowed eyes. "We're talking full wife, not concubine, right?"

"Correct. The new law leaves that option open to clan heads, which Naruto certainly is, and there were no changes to the terms of our proposal. Obviously he intends to wed the Hyuuga girl as well, which will cement his position in the village. But you'll be a full wife, with all the usual rights and obligations, not a concubine or mistress."

"Good. So, the bottom line here is the guy you want me to marry is a sneaky bastard who has the backing of two Sannin, and he's probably going to be the most powerful ninja in the world in a couple of years. The downsides are he's a little young, and I have to share power with a Hyuuga. This power struggle in Konoha is a wash, since it's a risk for me but also a chance to show him what I can do. So far I'm liking the sound of this, so there's got to be a catch. What orders does the council have for me on this?"

Baki allowed a hint of a smile to show. "Certain parties have convinced them that it would be unwise to expect you to cut your own throat for their sakes. So we've decided to play this one straight. Get as close to him as you can, become a central figure in the revival of his clan and secure your new position as best you can."

"His faction will most likely win through their current difficulties and cement their control of Konoha in short order, in which case you'll be in a position to influence policy to maintain the alliance. In the event that they somehow loose, and another faction takes control of Konoha, the council has authorized you to offer sanctuary here to the Sannin, Naruto and any family or retainers they wish to bring with them."

"I see." Temari said. "If their faction wins you get a friendly voice in Konoha, which will be handy if the Wind daimyo tries to shut down Suna entirely and you need a place to run. But if they lose and settle here instead Suna ends up with three kage-level ninja and we can just seize control of Wind Country if we need to. Either way we're all better off. You know, I like this a lot better than most of the council's plans."

"I'm glad to hear that." Her teacher replied. "I'll have our dossiers on all the ninja involved in this affair brought up for your review, and we should have a copy of the actual text of that bloodline law in the next day or two." He paused, and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you'll be fine, but…good luck, Temari."

--oOoOo--

"Lunch break, everyone!"

The noonday sun beat down mercilessly on the small clearing at the edge of the woods, and Tsunade fanned herself with the Hokage's hat as she waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Servants from the resort were busy unloading baskets bearing the Twin Falls Empress logo, covering the picnic table with a feast that would have satisfied twenty civilians. To Tsunade's eye it was a little on the light side for five ninja who were doing serious training, especially since several dishes were destined to go uneaten…

Naruto was trying to be alert, but the imminent prospect of food was too much of a distraction. Tsunade's call brought the real blond and the nearest clone running, while the rest of the party followed at a more sedate pace. The clone who'd been training under Shizune never noticed the senbon needles she flicked into his exposed back as he turned to go. He vanished in a puff of smoke, and back in the central clearing the real Naruto started.

"Hey! That was a low blow, Shizune!" He shouted.

"Anko warned you we were serious about this." She replied as she strolled up to the picnic table. "You need to be aware of everything around you at all times, or you'll never avoid a real assassin."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." He turned back to the food, only to have one of the 'servants' plant a kunai in his gut. Tsunade had a split second to worry that he'd taken a real hit before he dissolved into smoke, and the duplicate she'd noticed a moment earlier emerged from the trees. "Geez, Tsu-chan, was that your clone or psycho-san's?"

Anko laughed as she led the pair she'd been training into the clearing. "That was the boss, kid. I wouldn't be so nice."

The Naruto clone behind her touched a hidden tripwire, and was suddenly perforated by a dozen kunai launched from somewhere in the surrounding trees. Hinata, who'd been walking at his side, wove gracefully through the spray of projectiles and emerged completely unscathed.

"Aw, man, not again! I didn't die this many times fighting Gaara!" The real orange-clad genin reached for a rice ball and suddenly stopped, then leaned forward to sniff suspiciously at the food. "Wait, did you guys poison any of this stuff?"

"Of course they did, Naruto." Hinata commented as she reached for a plate. There was a flash of movement among the baskets, and Naruto opened his mouth to warn her. But she nonchalantly caught the striking snake with one hand, and turned to toss it in Anko's face. "Did you lose this, sensei?"

Anko squawked and substituted to the other side of the table. "Hey! Watch it, girl, those things are deadly!"

Hinata shrugged. "Surely an elite ANBU assassin can handle anything she'd use as a training aid on genin."

Tsunade laughed. "She's got you there, Anko."

"Whoa! Hinata, you rock!" Naruto enthused. "You haven't died all morning!"

She blushed. "O-only because you keep setting things off to protect me."

"Um, yeah. You noticed that?" He kicked at the ground, suddenly nervous. Sakura would have flattened him if she'd ever caught him looking out for her.

"Yes. T-thank you, N-naruto. But don't forget to protect yourself as well." She put a hand on his shoulder. "W-we can't replace the real y-you."

He felt his cheeks heat. She was so nice! "Don't worry, Hinata. I'm not going anywhere, and that's a promise!"

--oOoOo--

Ordinarily having a pair of cute girls in skimpy clothing buttonhole him outside his office would have brightened Jiraiya's day, but the amount of screeching and wailing involved in this particular encounter was rapidly souring his mood.

"But, Hokage-sama, do you have any idea how embarrassing this is? It's indecent! This so-called skirt wouldn't make a decent belt!"

Ino tugged at the offending garment as she spoke, confirming that it was still providing what minimal coverage it could. The black pleated micro-miniskirt was barely long enough to conceal the regulation black thong she wore underneath, and she had a sinking suspicion that she was flashing everyone behind her whenever she took a step. The three-inch heels on her new uniform shoes didn't help the situation, and she wasn't at all sure what to think about the knee pads. The white shirt might have been better if it wasn't tied off immediately below her breasts, and so sheer that the black bra underneath was clearly visible.

"That's right!" Sakura seconded. "I look like some kind of slutty schoolgirl porno fantasy! How is anyone supposed to take me seriously like this?"

"They aren't." Jiraiya rolled his eyes theatrically. "Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with you kids these days. You can't fight, you can't think and you're all too proud to do anything else. What really kills me is the way none of you can figure out anything unless someone spells it out for you. What kind of sorry excuse for a ninja needs the reasons behind a new policy explained in detail?"

Sakura snorted. "What's to understand? You're a pervert with a loli complex."

"Oh yeah, and you've all forgotten the meaning of discipline too." The toad sage frowned and crossed his arms. "That little remark costs you the bra for a month, young lady. I'd watch it if I were you – you're already on punishment dress, and you're running out of items of clothing to loose. As for my reasons." He looked past them down the hall and, noting a familiar figure passing by, shouted. "TenTen, come here!"

The young weapon specialist complied with alacrity, pulling a Body Flicker to appear instantly in front of the Sannin and snapping off a crisp salute. "Sir!"

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. TenTen, these two junior genin seem to have a problem with their new uniforms. Perhaps you could explain their situation to them?"

Ino noted that TenTen's uniform was considerably more practical than her own, if equally sexy. Tight knee-length shorts and an equally tight midriff-baring top made it impossible to miss the girl's lithe attractiveness. But the addition of practical boots, leather bracers and gloves, and a truly staggering assortment of sharp pointy things made it equally clear that she was a fighter rather than an ornament.

TenTen looked the younger girls up and down, and suppressed a snort of disgust as she took in the situation. "Yes, sir. Ino and Sakura are wearing remedial-level kunoichi uniforms, which means they've failed to meet the new physical qualifications for field duty. Since their only hope of surviving a fight is to avoid being targeted, their uniform is designed to make them look as helpless as possible. The suggestiveness should also be a plus for them, since they've apparently decided to become seduction specialists instead of combat ninja."

"I have not!" Sakura shouted in outrage. "I'm a ninja, not some kind of glorified whore!"

"Oh, grow up!" TenTen snapped. "Neither of you has ever trained seriously in your whole lives, and you think you're going to compete with people who've lived their art since they could walk? Please. This is your wake-up call, girls, and the clock is ticking. You're kunoichi of the leaf, and you're going to pull your weight one way or another. If you don't want to make a living exploiting your looks you'd better get off your asses and develop some other skill while you've still got the chance."

"Heh. Good summary, TenTen. Now, you two trot off down to ANBU headquarters and tell the duty officer I told you to report to Cat for a code twelve blue. I'm sure she can find some way to impress upon you two what a bad idea it is for a couple of rookie genin to try to browbeat their Kage."

"Um-" Ino began.

"Are you still here?" Jiraiya growled, and deliberately turned away from them.

The shocked girls decided discretion was the wiser course, and quietly made their retreat. After a moment the Sannin shook his head and dropped a black bra into the trash can by his secretary's desk. TenTen eyed the discarded article of clothing, glanced back at Sakura's retreating back, and smirked.

"Was there something you wanted, TenTen?"

"Just to make sure my name is added to the list, sir."

The acting Hokage raised an eyebrow. "List? What list would this be?" He asked innocently.

"The list of kunoichi who'd rather be Naruto's concubine than Sasuke's, if it comes down to it. With Hinata gone he's bound to try for someone else sooner or later, and I don't have a clan to protect me. I don't know if Naruto is actually taking applications or not, but I'm sure a lot of kunoichi have figured out that he's basically a nice guy and Sasuke's a selfish prick."

"Heh. You are a smart one, aren't you? Well, I obviously can't make you any promises, but if there is such a list your name will definitely be on it."

--oOoOo--

After two days of 'dying' every ten minutes or so Naruto was about ready to explode. He was getting better, but not fast enough to make much difference, and the fact that Hinata was only suffering three or four kills a day didn't help. Even Naruto wasn't oblivious enough to think the difference in their performance was entirely due to his efforts to protect her.

Then he got an idea.

On the third day an extra clone left the resort just after breakfast, heading uphill to the top of the falls. There he found another deserted patch of partially-wooded terrain, and put forty clones to work trying to ambush each other using all the same sneaky tricks that psycho Anko kept using on him.

With the average clone dying every twenty minutes or so their experiences got passed around quickly, and his skills grew so fast Anko thought he'd been replaced with an imposter until Hinata quietly clued her in. That night he was nearly comatose as he staggered off to bed, but she'd only gotten him twice in his last hour of training.

Of course, the next day Anko just upped the difficult on him. But by that point Naruto was getting the hang of this new 'pay attention to what's going on around you' thing, and soon he was picking up new tricks as fast as the special jounin could demonstrate them. By afternoon she was forced to admit that he was finally good enough to be more than just a target dummy.

Which led to a new phase of training, in which he and Hinata roamed the woods together doing various mock missions while Anko launched an enthusiastic surprise attack every so often. In addition to honing their senses this gave the genin plenty of practice fighting side-by-side against various threats.

"You know, it must really suck to be a summon." Naruto commented as he stood panting atop the body of a forty-foot snake. "Didn't we already kill this guy earlier?"

"You mean the fight on that pond full of water snakes? I think you're right." Hinata absently replied as she examined the remains of her coat. "No wonder they always appear as a chakra construct instead of using their real bodies." The bulky garment had been ripped, punctured and slashed repeatedly over the last few days, but she was forced to admit that being set on fire by an explosive tag in that last fight was the final straw. She set it aside reluctantly, thankful that the mesh armor she wore underneath had held up better.

Naruto noted the action and chuckled. "Anko really has it in for that thing, doesn't she? We should take it back to camp and give it a decent burial."

She smiled at him. "Yes. Alas, my faithful retainer has fallen in battle. We must carry him home so he can rest with his ancestors."

Naruto would have laughed, but she'd turned to face him while talking. Her form-fitting armor did absolutely nothing to hide the lush curves underneath, and he suddenly had no idea what they'd been talking about.

"Whoa. Where'd those come from?" He blurted out.

She blushed and looked away. She'd taken to hiding herself under loose, bulky garments when she first started to develop, in hopes of avoiding the stares and attention of rowdy boys at the academy. But…she wanted Naruto to look. She deliberately put a bit of bounce in her step as she walked over to her companion, and felt a surge of pride as his eyes followed every motion.

"I w-wear the coat so boys won't stare." She explained quietly.

His eyes widened in panic as he tore them away from her breasts. "Oh, crap! I'm sorry, Hinata, I didn't mean to look. I mean, not that I didn't like looking but I couldn't help it but I shouldn't have but wow but no staring yeah I get that sorry it won't happen again so you don't need to kill me even if I am a little perv-"

She silenced him with a finger across his lips. "Y-you can look. But only you."

"Seriously?" It had to be some kind of trick. He'd never gotten out of a situation like that without serious pain before. If this was Sakura it would all be a trick, and as soon as he took advantage she'd call him a pervert and hit him twice as hard. But Hinata was way too nice to set him up like that, wasn't she?

"S-seriously." The pale girl replied. She took a step away from him and clasped her hands behind her back. "A-am I…ok? N-not too f-fat?"

He swallowed. If there was a trace of fat anywhere on her he didn't see it. But if her chest was already this big, she'd be giving Anko competition in a couple of years. "Hinata, you're beautiful!" He insisted. How could she possibly not know that? "If you went around like that the other girls would all be jealous."

"R-really?"

Naruto put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I don't know why you're always so shy, when you've got to be the coolest girl I know. You're smart, and nice, and a really good kunoichi, and now I find out you're totally hot too. You should never have to hide what you are, Hinata. Stand up and be proud of yourself, you've earned it."

"T-thank you, Naruto." She gathered her courage and hugged him, and to her relief he didn't push her away. After a moment he even hugged her back!

Then her finely-honed danger sense went off, and she rolled them both aside as a barrage of kunai trailing explosive tags filled the space where they'd just been standing.

_Anko, blowing us up is not going to help me get closer to Naruto!_ She thought fiercely as she activated her Byakugan.

--oOoOo--

Usually Temari preferred to travel light, but since she didn't know when or if she'd ever return she was forced to make an exception in this case. Her usual assortment of mission gear was already squared away, but she'd spent the better part of the afternoon sealing the rest of her belongings into storage scrolls. Her formal wardrobe, some casual wear for between missions, personal correspondence, her jutsu library, the small collection of romance novels that she'd never admit to owning – it all added up, especially when she had such limited space to pack the storage scrolls.

But she didn't much mind the delay, since it gave her time to contemplate what she'd learned. Baki's briefing was mostly correct, she was sure of that. But there were details in the documents she reviewed that didn't quite add up. Hints that something even bigger was going on, if she could only figure out what.

"I don't like the wording of this decree, Temari. Seduction missions are bad enough, but at least those are temporary. Assigning your marriage as a mission, with your husband as mission leader? That's just begging for abuse."

That was Kankuro, trying to be helpful in his usual bumbling way. It would be sweet if it weren't so annoying, but his point was blindingly obvious to any experienced ninja. A team leader's authority had to be absolute, because in the field anything short of instant, unquestioning obedience was likely to get the whole team killed. But being married to a man with that kind of authority over their relationship…

….an S-rank ninja who could do anything he wanted to with her…

…just thinking about it made her breath catch and her pulse quicken. It was a disturbing discovery to make about herself, under the circumstances. But she was a professional, damn it, and she was going to act like one. "Give it a rest, Kankuro." She growled. "I can handle that little shrimp, and his shrinking violet girlfriend too. I'll be running the show there in no time."

…_or maybe he'll handle me instead, and wouldn't that be interesting_? A rebellious corner of her mind whispered. Fortunately her brother was oblivious.

"I know, I know. I just worry about you, that's all. What about this ANBU woman?"

She shrugged. "I'm guessing she's Hinata's bodyguard, so her dear old dad doesn't assassinate her for leaving the clan. The girl must have some serious inside backing to think she can pull that off, but I bet we'll still have to whack half the clan elders and put her in charge to settle things."

Kankuro chuckled. "That's my sister. But, are you really sure you want to do this? You know the council was expecting you to wait here until we get the official ceremony arranged."

She shook her head. "No, there's no time for that. Don't you see? We've got a Sannin, two jounin, a major clan heir and the strongest jinchuuriki in the world off doing god knows what while another Sannin runs interference for them back home. Whatever they're doing it must be important, and if I'm not a part of it I'll always be some foreigner that came along later instead of part of the original team. This is my chance to prove my worth to the people that run the strongest ninja village in the world, and I'm not going to miss it."

"Anko is only a special jounin." Her brother protested weakly. "And you aren't even married yet."

"The ceremony is just for show, dummy. Legally I was married the instant the treaty was signed. As for Anko, she was Orochimaru's apprentice but the other Sannin still took her back after his betrayal. If you think her official rank has anything to do with her abilities I've got a nice bridge in the western dunes to sell you."

Their conversation was interrupted by the opening of the door. Gaara nodded to them both as they entered, then stopped. He took in the bare room, the packed field gear, the stack of sealing scrolls and the backpack that Temari normally used only for water runs. Finally he turned to his sister.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To find my husband." She replied.

He nodded. "Good. He'll take good care of you. Send for me when the time comes to kill off your enemies."

She gave him a feral grin. "I'll hold you to that, brother."


End file.
